DAP recently announced the three small businesses new to downtown through its pop-up business program: P' Mychals Clothing by Leapy, Hair Geek Studios and Wholly Joe Coffee Shop and Café.

That brings the total businesses opened through the program – which fills vacant downtown storefronts with young businesses that also receive rent subsidies from DAP — to 17.

That's not too shabby. Plus DAP, through the next phase of its pop-up program, is working to help entrepreneurs fill the new Northside Marketplace.

P' Mychals Clothing is at 137 S. Main St. and specializes in men's clothing, from shirts, shoes and ties to outerwear. Owner Phillip Rackley has been in sales for many years and previously owned a shop in Orangerie Mall, now called the Shoppes at Akron Centre.

Hair Geek Studios, which provides hairstyling and other beauty services, is open at 365 S. Main St. It's owned and operated by Akron native Sapreea English, a stylist for more than decade.

"The reason I chose to open my salon in downtown Akron is because I want to be located in a fast paced environment with the goal of being diverse," English said in a release.

Wholly Joe Coffee Shop and Café is utilizing the pop-up program to open a second location, at 333 S. Main St. in the Evans Building. The shop, owned by the father and son team of David and Derrick Fertig, is slated to open next month. The duo already run a Wholly Joe in Merriman Valley. The downtown cafe will offer hot and cold coffee drinks, cold brew, teas and food items for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

A little chitchat

PechaKucha Akron has got its lineup of speakers ready to roll for its quarterly event on Friday, Nov. 3.

Not familiar with PechaKucha (which means "chitchat" in Japanese)? It's a storytelling forum where speakers show 20 slides for 20 seconds each — that's a total of six minutes and 40 seconds for each presentation for those of you trying to do the math at home. What usually results are compelling readings of intertwined stories and images.

Anoo Vyas, co-director of the University of Akron EXL Center, co-founded PechaKucha Akron. He told Crain's in August that the events can be an intense experience for both the audience and speakers.

"At every PK, you have nine speakers telling their truth. They're telling their story," he said. "They're either educating you, or they're saying something very personal about themselves. There's that connection that occurs that's really powerful."

November's speakers and their topics are:

• Rick Armon, "Ohio Craft Beer"

• Travis Bornstein, "Hope is Alive"

• Tess Burgler, "My Heart is that of a Musketeer"

• Charlotte Gintert, "The Road to Seeing"

• Lisa Givan, "What's in the Mindset Matters: An Inclusion Monologue"

• Greg Milo, "1980"

• Dominic Moore-Dunson, "From the Beautiful Game to Beauty on Stage"

• Heather Pollock, "The 99 Times My Heart Stopped"

• Lynne Poulton, "The Story of Tilly: Still Turning Heads After All These Years"

Doors open for PechaKucha Akron, Volume IX, at 7 p.m. Nov. 3 at the Akron Civic Theatre, 182 S. Main St. Speakers begin at 8 p.m. General tickets are $5; VIP tickets (preferred seating and a drink ticket) are $20.

Swanky arrival

The Akron-Canton Airport is getting kudos for its recently finished ticket-wing expansion. The American Institute of Architecture Akron Chapter has awarded it with an honorable mention at its design awards.

The Green airport unveiled the wing in June 2016. The $2.7 million project created an airy space with 1,800 square feet of space to move, LED lighting and large windows to let in natural light. A glass canopy completed the exterior.

SoL Harris/Day Architecture of North Canton designed the space.

"The design of the ticketing wing creates a bright, open and intuitive experience that welcomes the traveler while providing a clear understanding of where to check-in," Burt Marzley, design architect, said in a statement when the award was announced. "The new translucent canopy floats like a wing above the new glass entry vestibule that leads into a concourse full of natural light and refined by LED lighting and high quality finishes."

The AIA Akron Chapter's awards promote quality design, sustainability and the institute's principles of livable communities. Entries were evaluated on the aesthetic, functional, contextual and social characteristics of their design.

A new spot in the woods

Construction is underway on the new Shady Hollow Lodge in Summit County Metro Parks' Sand Run park.

The former facility, a cabin-style building built in 1988, was destroyed in a fire last year. The new building, at 1750 Sand Run Parkway, will offer a more modern take and include larger windows, vaulted ceilings, air conditioning, a patio and more.

"We didn't want to rebuild the same building," Jen Harvey, Summit Metro Parks Foundation development manager and grant writer Harvey said in a statement. "We wanted a better experience for guests and a design that reflects the beauty of Sand Run Metro Park."

The foundation is spearheading the funding of the new facility and is welcoming online donations.

Designed by Peninsula Architects, the facility should be ready by year's end, according to the parks system. In addition to hosting naturalists' public programs, the lodge will be available for rent.